I've been a vegetarian for about 3 years now and luckily for me, there are so many vegetarian restaurants in San Francisco that offer so many different ethnic varieties. I would eat out and look for inspiration to cook at home. Of course that means a lot of googling for recipes after trying out something at the restaurant. I also bought a handful of vegan and vegetarian cookbooks.

Before I became a vegetarian, I didn't know the different between vegan and vegetarian. Til this day, many people that are not aware of the difference between the two would ask questions like, "I thought you can't eat eggs if you're a vegetarian". Well, here's the difference: vegans don't eat eggs and dairy while vegetarians do.

For people who are considering to transition to vegetarianism, learning what to eat and the nutrients of the type of food is important. If you don't eat properly, your body will start to lose minerals, vitamins, and other important nutrients needed to maintain a healthy immune system. Among some telling signs of deficiency are hair loss and irritability.

I have a friend who wanted to tried vegetarianism for one week and it was disasterous for her. She ate mostly salads and that gave her loose bowel movements. This is because raw vegetables are very cooling (Chinese food element principal). Additionally eating raw vegetables and fruits affect your digestive system which in turn affect how the food come out the other end. Well at first she didn't believe me when I told her she needed to incorporate some warming food to her meals such as spices, ginger, and starchy food like potatoes. She also ate a like of sweets because she was hungry quite often. She didn't feel good at all but she hung on and completed her 1 week stint. After that she swore she could never be a vegetarian.

Going vegan or vegetarian isn't easy but you will learn along the journey. I certainly experienced a lot of health issues because I wasn't eating right in the beginning even though I had so many food choices. I am more knowledgeable about my health and nutrition after going through the ordeal. I also feel healthy and full of energy. My body feels completely transformed and different after I gave up eating meat.